Improved saddle-valise



Ntra STATES arent Ormea.

ROBERT MCMURRAY AND JAMES S. TOPHAM, OF WASHINGTON, D. O.

IMPROVED SADDLE-VALISE.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 47,02@ dated March 28, 1865.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known that we, ROBERT MGMURRAY and JAMES S. TOPHAM, of the city of Vashington, in the District of Columbia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Saddle-Valises; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference thereon marked.

To enable those skilled in the art to make and use our invention, we will describe its construction and operation.

Figure l is a perspective view. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section. Fig. 3 shows the patterns by which wc cut the sides or body of the valise.

The nature of our invention consists in a new and improved mode of constructing saddle-valises, so as to make them set steadily upon and behind the saddle, to be of considerable capacity without taking up too much room, and to be made without any seams exposed to rain, and to be riveted together throughout, so as to dispense with all stitching, and also provided with a molded cover without seam, so as to exclude rain, all of which will more fully hereinafter appear.

In the drawings, A A represent the two pieces of heavy leather, rubber, or other suitable material, which form the sides of the valise. into a cylinder about ve or six inches in diameter, and some nine or ten inches in length upon the under side, and some twelve or iifteen inches'in length on the upper side.

The seam in each of these cylinders is upon the under side, and is formed by the use of metallic rivets c, about an inch apart. The edges of the inner ends of the two cylinders are then lapped and riveted together, as shown in drawings, so that the under seam or under side or bottom of the valise shall be formed upon such a curve as to fit snugly behind the saddle.

B B are the circular end pieces or heads of the cylinders which compose the sides of the valise. They are formed of suitable. leather or other material, (they may be of sheet metal,) and have their edges dished or stamped up for about a fourth or a half of an inch. One of these pieces B is then put in each outer end of the cylinders, and is riveted, as

Each of these pieces A is formed.

before described. rlhc two sheets which form the body of the valise are so cut that when they are riveted together there shall be a suitable opening upon the top and center for putting in and taking out clothing, &c.

O is the cover. This cover is formed of a single piece of leather, rubber, metal, or other suitable material, molded into such a hemisphcrical curve as to cover the opening closely and iit snugly to the valise, and shed oit' all rain both at the sides and ends'. The edges of the cover are bound around so as to make it retain its molded shape. It is secured at its rear edge, by two rivets, to the valise, and its front edge is provided with two straps, b b, for fastening it down, the said straps operating in connection with the buckles c c.

D D are loops through which the straps pass which secure the valise to the saddle. rlhe buckles c c and loops D D are riveted to the pieces A A before said pieces receive their cylindrical form. E E are steel circular springs for making the valise keep its cylindrical forni.

We have thus far described the best mode of constructing our improved valise; but instead of forming the cylindrical body in two pieces, as described, we may form it out of one piece, X, as shown in Fig. 3; but about ten or twelve per cent. more of leather is required when one piece is used instead of two. Instead of using rivets, the seams may be stitched 5 but stitching is more expensive and not so durable.

By our invention we are enabled to make a cheaper, more durable, more capacious, more convenient, and better saddle-valise than has heretofore been constructed.

We are aware that a cylindrical saddlevalise has been described in the patent of W. H. Jenifer, of June 26, 1860, and do not desire to embrace in our claim any right to infringe his patent; but there are several points of difference between the two valises. For instance, Jenifers valise is composed of three cylindrical sections, having two crossseams exposed to the rain and unprotected by the cover, while our valise is composed of but two cylindrical sections, having only one cross-seam, and that one fully protected from the rain by the cover. rlhen, we use a molded cover, dished ends, and metallic rivets, and

(listending steel springs, none 0f which devices, contributing to the goodness of th valise, are malle use of by Jenifer.

Having thus fully described our invention, what We claim as new, and desire t0 sec'ure by Letters Patent, is-

Tlie springs E, in combination With a cylindrical saddle-valise, constructed and arranged substantially as described.

R. MCMURRAY. JAMES S. TOPHAM.

`Witncssesz V. C. CLAYTON, J0. C. CLAYTON. 

